In light (or darkness) of the shootings across America this week, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Falcon Heights, Minnesota, and Dallas, Texas, many private citizens and well-know persons have taken to Twitter and Facebook to express their grief. Hours after the Minnesota shooting of an unarmed black male, Doug Davidson (Paul, "The Young and the Restless") sent tweets about the need for love, understanding and respect for all. Following Dallas, he shared photos of statements by Dr. Martin Luther King. He posted a long-ago photo of the Earth taken by astronaut Buzz Aldrin, which offered the idea that we are one world. Sadly, there were some vicious posts in response to his call for love and coming together. They have been taken down. Davidson's cast mate Josh Morrow (Nicholas) put up a photo of the ring of folks in Dallas (black and white) standing together in solidarity, peacefully protesting police brutality.

Shonda Rhimes, who owns just about every series on ABC prime time ("Grey's Anatomy," "How to Get Away With Murder," "Scandal"), responded to people on Twitter who suggested the Black Lives Matter movement was the cause of the unrest. She said she has a family member who is a police officer. Rhimes went on to say she was shaking and crying. She also said you cannot connect the protest group to the snipers who murdered five policemen in Dallas. Public figures, from LeBron James to Cher to Don Cheadle to Halle Barry to Lady Gaga, all expressed horror at what happened in Dallas.

Television news reporters shine or stumble with their coverage. Over at MSNBC, Brain Williams, who was suspended from NBC for fabricating stories about being in a helicopter crash, showed why he helmed NBC for so many years. After yesterday's Dallas tragedy, it seems he was on from early morning to late at night steering the coverage. Not just a talking head.

Dan Rather made his career at CBS while covering the Democratic National Convention. Once, he was punched in the stomach he was hauled off by police, still announcing his sign-off as he was taken into custody. When Rather erroneously claimed President George W. Bush pulled strings to dodge the draft, that was the end of his tenure at CBS.

CNN's Fredricka Whitfield may be a falling star. While reporting the Dallas shooting she called the shooter "courageous and brave." That comment irked thousands of viewers who slammed her via phone calls, Twitter and Facebook. It took Whitfield nearly a day to say she "misspoke." Later she apologized for her words, but not her feelings. For now, CNN is backing her — "for now" being the operative phrase.

ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC grappled as to whether they should go with their regularly scheduled programming. Most did, but interrupted when coverage warranted. What does that mean for the watchers? You can forget about seeing who won the final spin on "Wheel of Fortune. As for soaps, viewers will see what was not aired. If it was important to the story they will edit it into upcoming episodes.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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